Those
who are, or have been in college, know the value of the occasional journey into
the unknown.An adventure that
allows an exhausted student temporary freedom from the "college grind". This journey, more commonly known simply as the “road
trip,” is one of the fundamental experiences in college as much as waking up
next to someone you really wish you hadn’t.All in all though, the road trip provides many undoubtedly memorable
people and experiences funny enough to warrant treatment in a movie.

Seizing this idea, Writer/Director Todd Philips gambles his
movie’s premise on it.The story
of Road Trip begins at Ithaca University.Josh (Meyer) and his girlfriend Tiffany, having gone out since they were
five, are now going to schools over 1,800 miles apart, and the relationship is
starting to suffer.Josh, tormented
by paranoia that Tiffany is unfaithful, ends up sleeping with Beth (Smart),
after he doesn’t hear from Tiffany for a week.The problem is though, Beth taped the encounter and it mistakenly got
sent to, you guessed it, Tiffany.Mortified,
Josh enlists the help of party animal E.L. (Scott), his roommate Rubin (Contanzo),
and the incredibly squirrelly Kyle (Qualls), to intercept the tape in Texas
before Tiffany can see it.Making
things more interesting, the entire story is told through the insane antics of
Tom Green as tour guide Barry Manilow (Yeah, you heard that right).

So does
Road Trip succeed?I believe
it does.What make this comedy
successful are a few important things, chief among them the strength of the
characters and the acting.While
you wouldn’t guess that this issue would be a factor in a movie that’s in
the American Pie vein, a movie like this lives and dies by the characters
in it.For example, does anyone
doubt that Animal House would be the same without John Belushi?

I believe the comedic performances are dead-on, from the
very wonderful and always zany Tom Green, to relative newcomers Scott, Smart,
Contanzo and Qualls.The
characters’ chemistry together makes the film interesting to watch because the
actors are so comfortable working with each other, a factor which is critical
for any movie, but especially a comedy.Second,
the lines and situations delivered are both funny and constant.The worst thing that can happen to a comedy is to have a few good ideas
but continue the joke beyond the point when anyone’s laughing.In this film, Philips is able to keep the pace constantly moving; whether
a slow or fast scene, he always keeps the viewer entertained.

Video
***

Once again DreamWorks shows their ability to succeed, always
providing both a stellar transfer and having it in Anamorphic.I see no problems visually with this disc at all, which is nice because
many studios treat comedies horribly just because they think no one will care
about the picture as long as “bigger” movies like Independence Day or
MI:2 look good.

Audio
***

My
heart just warms when I hear of DreamWorks.Only they would include both Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 tracks, but also
one in DTS for something so aurally basic as a comedy.The music and dialogue are crisp, accurate, and well done, with most of
the sound coming from the front soundstage except for music.

To tell
the truth, in terms of rating which track is better between the Dolby and DTS
versions, both the DD 5.1 and the DTS fare about the same.The only small difference I noticed was the slightly better bass on the
DTS track after the “car explosion scene.”Because it’s a comedy, this isn’t meant to be a reference quality
“house-shaker.”

Features ****

When I heard I would be reviewing the “Uncut and
Uncensored” version of Road Trip I wondered what more mature content
they could add.After all, having
seen the film in theaters, I realized that the film’s content was already as
raunchy as American Pie.As
it turns out, the good people at DreamWorks have provided a few extra moments of
cut scenes.So, what are they?Sadly, the footage consists mostly of gratuitous nudity (I know, shame on
them!).

While not a “Signature Selection” disc, this disc still
offers a nice selection of goodies for an affordable price.Included first is “Road Kill,” a selection of deleted scenes
that are mostly superfluous, “Ever Been on a Road Trip?,” a five
minute behind the scenes featurette hosted by Tom Green, and a music video
entitled “Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues.”Also
included on the disc are cast and crew bios, production notes, two theatrical
trailers, and a trivia game (for those who have DVD-ROMS).

Summary:

In conclusion, Road
Trip is both an amusing and enjoyable comedy that is best suited for
teenagers and those in their early twenties.A great movie to watch with friends, this is a solid disc worth a spin.